


Ahsoka: Ashes of the Republic

by phantom647



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28751319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantom647/pseuds/phantom647
Summary: After Order 66, Ahsoka Tano finds herself stranded on the small, outer rim planet of Thabeska. Every semblance of her old life is gone, until a mysterious figure arrives to bring her back to the light...
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1: A New Normal

Chapter 1: A New Normal  
Ahsoka Tano stirred from a deep slumber. Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at the clay ceiling above her. She studied its rough surface with its bumps and humps. Ahsoka lifted herself so that she was sitting up in her bed now. The thick purple blanket that was draped over her fell to her waist and bunched around her lithe figure. It was at this point that Ahsoka took the opportunity to look out of the window that was next to her small bed.  
“Cloudy again…” She said with a sigh. It was the dark season on Thabeska, at least that’s what the locals and the members of the Fardi clan called it. When Ahsoka arrived four months ago on this small planet in the outer rim, she was amazed by how clear its blue skies were. She had wondered why more people did not live there as the land was arable and crops were easy to come by. Now she had figured out why this planet was as vacant as it was. If you didn’t have enough food when the dark season came, you didn’t make it.  
Chenna, one of the older Fardi nieces told Ahsoka that every year dust from the other side of the planet and clouds rolled in and created long stretches of time where plants simply could not grow under natural conditions. The “Dark Season” lasted about three to five months and discouraged all sorts of life forms from living on Thabeska. Because of this, the Fardi clan was able to rise to prominence and act as gate keepers for the planet. They operated a number of businesses and Fardi, the leader of the clan acted as a de facto leader of the area on the whole. He helped provide newcomers like Ahsoka with food, water, and a room in their compound. That is, if they were useful. After a number of years working with the Grand Army of the Republic, Ahsoka had learned a thing or two about fixing ships and weapons. So Ahsoka was able to offer up her services as a mechanic to the Fardi clan.  
Ahsoka rose out of bed and went to the corner of her room to put on her blue and grey mechanic’s jumpsuit. She slid the clothes over her slim body and walked to the sheik white, sliding door. It slid open to her right side and she left her room in the compound. Ahsoka ventured down a hall way filled with identical doors on her left and right sides. Each was emblazoned with a number. Her room was number fourteen. Most of the rooms were vacant, Chenna had told her. She said that Fardi was always prepared to take on more newcomers and help people on their way, so he like being prepared. However, in the time that Ahsoka had been living with the Fardi Clan, no more than fifty people had come to the planet, most of which had not stayed for more than a couple of hours to refuel their ships. Ahsoka continued down the hall way. It was the same brunt orange clay color that the walls in her room were. She was rather fond of the shade of color and she let out a slight smile as she walked to the end of the hall. When she opened the door to the outside world, Ahsoka prepared herself for the dark walk to the Fardi Clan hangar. She pressed a blue button on the side of the door and it slowly slid open to the left, revealing the Thabeskan landscape. There was a reason why it was called the ‘Dark Season’. Thick grey clouds spread out as far as the eye could see, shrouding the crop fields in darkness. As Ahsoka began walking on a dirt trail that led to the hangar, she felt light rain fall on her small shoulders. It was only a few, light drops, but Ahsoka let a sigh out as if it were a massive downpour.  
This was her life now. After years of being brought up in the Jedi order, fighting with the Grand Army of the Republic and standing side by side with her master and good friend Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka was all alone on a nearly deserted planet working as a mechanic. It was bad enough that she was to live the rest of her life as an outcast after she left the Jedi order. But she could not have imagined that the entire Republic would have fallen too. Everything she knew was gone; burned up in a raging blaze of anger and fear from citizens and Senators of the Republic.  
“If only they hadn’t let themselves be scared by Chancellor Palpatine…” Ahsoka said to herself. He was now Emperor Palpatine she thought.  
“Who would’ve thought that some Senator from Naboo would destroy the Republic and build an Empire in its wake?” Ahsoka asked aloud to herself. She asked herself this question a lot. But in the four months that she had spent on Thabeska, the answer never came to her. She was always under the impression that Palpatine was a good man and a good leader. It was the Jedi Order that she had issues trusting, not the Senate. But she supposed that maybe her assumptions may have been incorrect. She wondered about what happened to Anakin, to Obi-Wan. She was never able to get in touch with either of them since Order 66. And for her own safety, she figured she should keep it that way.  
Ahsoka continued to walk on the dirt path until she arrived at the large, grey, cylindrical hangar. It was the only one on the entire planet of Thabeska. It was by no means a trash heap, but it was certainly not up to the standards that she was used to on Coruscant. She was used to seeing hangars packed with sleek, shining ships from all over the galaxy. On Thabeska, however; there were but three ships in the entire hangar. Two of which were non-functioning and had been that way long before Ahsoka arrived. The third was a mid-size freighter that Fardi used to pick up supplies from nearby planets. He traded the Fardi Clan’s harvest yields for things like clothes, electrical generators and more parts for the incomplete ships. The shuttle had not left Thabeska in weeks. Loose wires and cables poured over the edges of boxes all over the floor. Tool kits were incomplete and the lights flickered constantly.  
“Ashla! Give me a hand over here.” Makala Fardi yelled to her. Ashla. That was the name Ahsoka went by now. In an effort to avoid arousing suspicion, Ahsoka decided to cut all ties with her Jedi roots, including her name.  
“I’m on my way.” Ahsoka said as she briskly walked over to Makala. The two worked on repairing the engine of the small fighter ship that the Fardi Clan was working on. They didn’t want to have it. But after the fall of the Republic, Fardi said that they had better be safe than sorry. The two worked on the ship for hours, yet it was still nowhere near working order. They worked silently. Ahsoka was much quieter in her new life. Gone was her wit and playful jabs and in their place was a diligent woman who worked and then went home. She occasionally laughed and was still friendly to the Fardi Clan. But had they known the woman Ahsoka was before Order 66, they would be shocked at how little she spoke now.  
After her shift, Ahsoka went back to her room in the compound. She followed the same dirt path to the burnt orange adobe clay building that she called home and entered it. She continued walking until she arrived at door number fourteen. Without a word, she pressed the blue button to open the sliding door and entered her room.  
Ahsoka then began to prepare for sleep. Once she did, she sat before her bead cross legged and began to meditate. This short time concentrating on the Force again was the highlight of her day. After a few minutes, Ahsoka began to lift off of the wood floor beneath her. She was levitating in the middle of the orange rectangle she called her room and she was at peace. She tried to be content with her life. She had to be. What other choice did she have? The Jedi are gone. The Republic is gone. Her life as she knew it was gone. This was what life was now. And for the first time in her entire life, Ahsoka felt utterly powerless to change it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! New chapters will be coming in every day until the story is done. Feel free to give this story some kudos and message me with feedback!


	2. A New Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka's new life on Thabeska is disrupted when a mysterious ally starts her on a new quest....

Episode 2: A New Ally  
The next day looked exactly the same for Ahsoka, as all of her days began to look that way. She woke up. She went to the hangar and worked on the Fardi Clan’s ships. She meditated. And she went to bed. The day after looked to follow that pattern as well until her evening meditation. She was sitting cross legged on the wooden floor of her burnt orange room just like any other day. After a short amount of time had elapsed, she began to hover a meter off of the ground. For some reason, Ahsoka felt especially in tune with the Force that night. She had no idea why, but suddenly, it all made sense.  
“Ahsoka.” She heard a man’s voice say to her in her room. Ahsoka’s eyes flashed open wide to see a man standing before her. Ahsoka’s concentration was broken and she fell back on to the hard wood floor with a crash. He was a man, but he had a blue glow around him much like a hologram transmission, but there was something different about the way he appeared. He clearly was not a part of any transmission. He was a very tall, well-built man with long brown hair that had streaks of grey throughout and a beard of the same shade. He was one of the taller humanoid life forms that Ahsoka had every seen. He towered over her in her seated position. The man was draped in deep brown Jedi robes, something Ahsoka had seen every day for as long as she could remember. That was of course until Order 66, when the Jedi robes and the life forms inside of them disappeared from her life.  
“Who are you?” Ahsoka asked with an angry and confused look on her face.  
“My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. I was a Jedi Knight, and Master to your friend Obi Wan Kenobi.” The man replied. Ahsoka thought that he had an accent that sounded like Obi Wan’s, but slightly different.   
“How are you here in my room? I thought you died on Naboo thirteen years ago.” Ahsoka asked skeptically.  
“Before I was defeated on Naboo, I was able to learn how to preserve my consciousness after death. As far as I can tell, no Jedi before has ever been able to do so. But plenty of Jedi have been able to since.” Qui-Gon replied calmly.  
“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked.   
“I have merged myself into the Force, and in the Force there is no time or space. I can look five hundred years into the future in this material reality as easily as you can look over your left shoulder.” He replied crossing his arms over his strong chest.  
“How am I supposed to believe you?” Ahsoka asked again.  
“Search your feelings. You know that what I say is true.” Qui-Gon gently replied to the woman that was now standing before him. Ahsoka closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew that Qui-Gon’s words were true. He eyes slowly opened again and she looked at the sage like man with a calm expression.  
“Why are you here, then?” Ahsoka asked in a notably kinder tone.  
“I have made an effort to contact as many of the Jedi that survived Order 66 as I can. My aim is to restore hope to those who have lost it. And to show the way to those who are willing to follow it. Though these days look dark, there is still much light on the horizon.” Qui-Gon said. Ahsoka sighed. It was hard for her to believe what Qui-Gon was saying to her. Hope? What did he mean hope? The galaxy she knew was gone forever with no sign of getting it back.  
“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked with a furrowed brow.  
“I mean that the Empire was built on an unstable foundation. No matter how powerful it may seem, there are holes, weaknesses that can and will be exploited in the near future.” Qui-Gon said to her. Ahsoka’s face lit up.  
“How soon?” She asked.  
“I cannot say exactly, but the Empire will not last any longer than one generation. And I need your help to make that so.” Qui-Gon replied.  
“When do we start?” Ahsoka said with a wide smile. It was a smile that was so big it revealed nearly all of her teeth. She had become accustomed to her life on Thabeska, but she was by no means attached to it. She was still ready to fight for what was right, it didn’t matter the name of what side was.   
“We have a few things we need to do here first. You need to learn this technique I am about to show you as well as a few others so that you can begin to guide and train the next generation of Jedi to follow the will of the Force.” Qui-Gon said.  
“But isn’t that what the Jedi Order said they were doing?” Ahsoka asked.  
“You’ll find that the Jedi Order and I disagreed on a number of things. It is no coincidence that I was the first Jedi to preserve their consciousness after death. The Force is willing another paradigm for the Jedi to operate in into existence. One that does not focus itself on the dogma, political or certainly martial capabilities of the Force. Rather one that concentrates on following the will of the Force as closely as one can, however that may manifest itself.” Ahsoka liked what she was hearing. As a victim of the Jedi Order’s dogma herself, Ahsoka was very much welcome to new changes to the way in which the Jedi conducted themselves.  
“We will begin the lessons tomorrow night at the same time. You mustn’t neglect your duties here on Thabeska, nor do you want to arouse any suspicion from the Empire.” Qui-Gon said with a bow. Ahsoka gave him another wide smile and bowed respectfully to him.  
“I will see you tomorrow, Master Qui-Gon.” She said enthusiastically. Qui-Gon bowed again and faded away, leaving the orange room occupied solely by Ahsoka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! New chapters will be coming in every day until the story is done. Feel free to give this story some kudos and message me with feedback!


	3. The First Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon takes Ahsoka to a sacred Jedi site to teach her the first lesson of his training....

Episode 3: The First Lesson  
Ahsoka’s day proceeded as it usually did. She helped out the Fardi clan in restoring their fighter ship. She laughed and joked with some of the nieces and then she returned to her quarters when the sun came down. But once again, Ahsoka’s life was a little more interesting when she entered a meditative state in her bedroom. Like the night before, she did not feel a presence other than hers in the room. But then, she felt Qui-Gon enter the space. He gave off a calming, and stable masculine energy and Ahsoka knew it was him right away; she didn’t even need to open her eyes. There was a sort of fingerprint that Qui-Gon possessed that Ahsoka felt through the Force. All beings had a fingerprint. If Ahsoka had met them once before, she could easily place them through the Force if her mind could not remember their face.  
Ahsoka felt Qui-Gon lower himself to the ground gently and crossed his legs so that he mirrored Ahsoka’s posture.  
“Hello, Ahsoka.” He said in his calming voice.  
“Master Qui-Gon.” Ahsoka said with a bow.  
“Are you ready to begin?” Qui-Gon asked gently. Ahsoka nodded. Qui-Gon reached out his blue translucent hand towards Ahsoka’s forehead. She could not see it with her eyes, as they were still closed, but she could feel it through the Force. When his fingers made contact with Ahsoka’s forehead, her eyes shot open and she was no longer in the small orange room on Thabeska. She was on an island in the middle of an ocean. To call it an island was more of a misnomer, it was more like a floating giant rock that was covered in green grass. Stones jutted out of the greenery at every angle as far as Ahsoka could see. She felt the cool wind from the sea brush against her face and the mist that followed that breeze. The air felt a little sticky, but it was far too cold for it to be bothersome. She heard waves roar and crash into the rock from all sides.   
“That must be why it’s so rocky here.” She thought as she considered how centuries filled with aggressive waves had whittled this island into its current rocky terrain. She saw Qui-Gon standing next to her; however, this time he was in full corporeal form. His blue outline and translucent nature had disappeared and he appeared to be alive in just the same way as she was.  
He gently smiled at her as his long hair billowed in the wind.  
“Where are we?” Ahsoka asked.   
“We are on the planet Ahch-To. This was the birthplace of the Jedi Order, one of the first major places where force sensitive beings gathered. It’s abandoned now, but it is a place that is still very much strong with the Force.” Qui-Gon said with his arms crossed. Ahsoka looked around again as the waves continued to smack into the rock hard surface of the island.  
“Are we actually on Ahch-To?” Ahsoka said, confused as to how she could have transported across the Galaxy and into the unknown regions. Qui-Gon shook his head.  
“We are in a projection of it. I’ve merged our consciousnesses together so that we can explore lands that the two of us have seen within our shared consciousness.” Qui-Gon said. Ahsoka tilted her head to the side in confusion.  
“Sometimes the journey must be taken within one’s own mind.” Qui-Gon said. “Now come on, we have lessons to learn.” The man motioned for Ahsoka to follow him and Qui-Gon began walking towards a steep hill.   
They walked towards what appeared to be a seaside village. The little town was inhabited by tiny, grey round creatures dressed in fine clothes. Ahsoka was surprised at how nicely the native creatures were dressed. She had assumed that since they were a presumably primitive species living in the unknown regions, that fine clothing was not one of their top priorities. She saw the creatures tending to an old looking structure that was in rough shape. The tightly stacked and packed stones were loose in a few places and the small building looked as if it were a few gusts of wind away from completely caving in on itself. She saw one small creature that was wearing an all-white outfit standing in front of the building. She raised her hand towards the building and the rocks began to move.  
“They’re force sensitive?” Ahsoka said loudly to Qui-Gon. The small creature was startled by Ahsoka’s question and dropped the stones and angrily looked back at her. Qui-Gon let out a laugh. As the small creature turned back to the building Qui-Gon began speaking.  
“The Lanai have lived on this island for millennia, guarding and protecting the secrets of the Jedi. They may have flipped through a page or two of the sacred texts.” He said with a smirk. By the time Qui-Gon had finished speaking, the Lanai woman had moved all of the stones back to their proper places. The building looked as good as new. Ahsoka was amazed.  
“Sacred texts?” Ahsoka asked as the two continued to walk through the village, causing the little eyes of the Lanai to turn and stare at them.  
“Yes. Ahch-To is home to the most secret and sacred texts known in the history of the Jedi. The sort of things that the Jedi Order keeps locked away here just in case Coruscant were compromised.” Qui-Gon said.  
“Like it has been now.” Ahsoka replied.  
“Exactly.” Qui-Gon said. “The Jedi Order that you know and the Jedi Order that the Lanai people know are quite different from each other. The Lanai knew the order when it was young, and free from the dogma of the Jedi Order as you knew it. Anyone could be trained as a Jedi at any age. There were not these harsh restrictions on only training children to stop them from being attached to particular beings in the universe. That was all until the first Sith was born. When the first Sith Lord left his anger and emotions unchecked, the original Jedi Order was destroyed. And out of fear, the new Jedi Order created new rules to protect themselves in the future.” Qui-Gon said. “Which has in effect what lead to their downfall time and time again.”   
“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked.  
“The more the Jedi Order tried to control their operations and the affairs of the Republic, the more they opened themselves up to people willing to defect and turn to the dark side. My master was one of them.” Qui-Gon said.  
“Dooku…” Ahsoka said with a knowing sadness. Qui-Gon nodded silently. “So how would the Jedi Order ever sustain itself?” Ahsoka asked again.  
“Has it not already done so?” Qui-Gon asked rhetorically. “The Lanai have been guarding the Jedi texts for thousands of generations, blissfully unaware of the political goings-on of the Old Republic, the Galactic Republic, or the Empire. All they know is the Force. And so the Jedi Order has endured. For whenever its traditions fall out of line with the will of the Force, it is corrected and made right again.” Qui-Gon said as the wind continued to whip his hair behind his broad shoulders.  
“But what about all of the innocent people who get caught in the cross fire and die along the way. Is that the will of the Force too?” Ahsoka asked. Qui-Gon paused.  
“Unfortunately, it is, Ahsoka. Each manifestation of the Force knows the times it will be born into. From there, it is their choice to behave in a way that moves the galaxy towards a more balanced state or not. But if they move out of that balance, the consequences will come quickly.” Qui-Gon stoically said. This sent a chill down Ahsoka’s spine.   
“What am I here for then, Master Qui-Gon?” Ahsoka asked.  
“To set things right.” Qui-Gon said with a smile. “You are not meant to be a mechanic to the Fardi Clan for the rest of your days.” Qui-Gon bowed his head slightly and the sun on Ahch-To began to set quickly. The day turned to night and Ahsoka could feel that they were on the move again to somewhere else in their space of shared consciousness. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the change.


	4. The Second Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon takes Ahsoka to a projection of Mustafar to unearth some devastating truths about her old master....

Chapter 4: The Second Lesson  
When Ahsoka opened her eyes again, she felt pure heat all around her. Clouds of dark smoke hovered in the distance and red hot magma flowed like a river a hundred meters away from her. Once again, she saw Qui-Gon standing next to her, though this time, he had a sad look on his face. Ahsoka shot a puzzling look back at him.  
“What’s wrong?” She asked firmly.  
“There are some things you must be aware of before you leave Thabeska. Some very horrible things.” Qui-Gon said as he stared Ahsoka right in the eye causing a chill to move up her spine. Just then she heard the sound of two lightsabers clashing in the distance. She craned her neck and could barely make out two brilliant blue blades connecting with each other over and over again as they floated down the lava river.  
“What’s going on?” Ahsoka asked with fear in her eyes. Those were two Jedi fighting. She started down the large hill she was on. Little charcoal colored stones and rocks slipped beneath her feet as she continued to gather momentum on her descent. The planet was hot; unbelievably hot. She saw more and more lava firing out of several nearby volcanoes as the dark smoke continued to choke out the skyline. She stumbled for a moment and fell onto the ground, which left dark marks on her clothes and skin. But she quickly rose to her feet and continued downwards. When Ahsoka had reached the a point where the hill leveled off she saw one blade flip off of the platform it was on and land on a small hill on the bank of the river.  
“Obi-Wan?” Ahsoka asked. It was indeed Obi-Wan she thought. Though his face was covered in a look of distress and his head and neck glistened with sweat. Obi-Wan’s robes had been singed by the heat of the planet and what looked to be small embers that flew out of the river. What was he doing here? Who could he be fighting? Just then he began to speak.  
“It’s over, Anakin. I have the high ground.” Obi Wan said in a tired and desperate voice. Anakin? Ahsoka was in absolute shock. Anakin and Obi Wan were two of her closest friends and confidants and now they were fighting each other in a duel to the death. Ahsoka tensed up when she saw Anakin leap from the platform below and soar into the air. She knew this was not to end well for him, and it didn’t. With one stroke Obi Wan sliced off Anakin’s legs and his left arm as he slid down towards the river bank. Ahsoka let out a shriek, but neither of the two men heard her. She was in absolute shock and went to run towards the men when Qui-Gon appeared next to her.  
“These are past events. You cannot interfere with them, Ahsoka.” He said with a tinge of sadness and regret in his voice. Ahsoka fell to her knees as she continued to watch the scene playout before her. She saw what used to be her strong, confident master lying face down on the bank of a lava river, crippled by his old master. Ahsoka saw his legs catch fire from the flames of the river and her former master began to burn. Anakin shrieked in pain as his body continued to melt and Ahsoka screamed out with him. She turned to Qui-Gon with tears in her eyes and she saw tears sliding down his own cheeks. This wasn’t easy for him either. Obi Wan began to walk away as he could not take any more of the scene. Eventually the flames began to die out and what was left of Anakin Skywalker became visible. His hair, which he had cared so much about in the past and Ahsoka had made a number of jokes about was gone. All that was left was his scorched out scalp that was red from his burns and the skin that remained was peeling from his cranium. His robes were in tatters and began to be melted into his body in some places. Anakin continued to scream as he tried to pull himself up the hill with his one good arm, but he could only move a few centimeters. But the most shocking thing Ahsoka noticed was the pair of piercing yellow eyes that looked up on the ashy hill. The scene was hard for Ahsoka to watch for even a second more. Anakin Skywalker was utterly and completely helpless as he lay dying on the fiery planet of Mustafar.   
‘What happened?” Ahsoka said as she choked back more tears. Qui-Gon paused for a moment to gather himself before he replied.  
“Anakin fell to the dark side. He gave into his fear and became Darth Vader. He murdered countless Jedi during Order 66 and was tasked with clearing out the Jedi temple personally.” Qui-Gon said as his voice trembled. Ahsoka’s jaw dropped. Qui-Gon continued.  
“Obi Wan and Master Yoda were the only two members of the council to survive, so they made a plan to defeat Emperor Palpatine, who was the Sith behind the clone war, and Anakin. Obi Wan was sent here to Mustafar to defeat him, and he did.” Qui-Gon tried to catch his breath as he finished.  
“Is Anakin dead?” Ahsoka asked.  
“No. Something far worse will happen to him.” Qui-Gon said. Just then Emperor Palpatine’s shuttle emerged from the smoky atmosphere to retrieve Anakin’s body. Ahsoka and Qui-Gon saw several clones load his nearly limbless, burnt body onto a medical capsule to fly back to Courescant. Ahsoka blinked her eyes and when she opened them again, she heard mechanical breathing behind her. It was moving at a slow and consistent pace, but it didn’t sound like breathing at all. She spun around and saw a large, black figure standing behind her. The ground she stood on was level and he towered over her. The figure had a black helmet that fanned out as it reached down from the top of his head to slightly above his shoulders. The figure was clad in black gloves, black and silver plates and had a black cape that billowed behind him from the hot winds of Mustafar. His eyes, if you could call them that, were slightly red tinted lenses that sat on either side of a triangular shaped breathing apparatus. Ahsoka shot her head around to see that Qui-Gon had disappeared from view. She heard the shrill hiss of a Sith lightsaber ignite and saw a crimson blade extended from the left hand of the machine that stood over her. Ahsoka reached for her sabers, but realized that they were not on her belt. They had not been there since Mandalore. When all of the sudden, she felt a weight on her right hip. As she slowly backed away from the figure in black as he began to move towards her, she looked down and saw a black lightsaber hilt, with a small red button that was placed closely to the rounded emitter of the weapon. Ahsoka grabbed the lightsaber from her belt and an emerald blade shot out of the silver and black hilt. She prepared herself for the fight as her knees bent slightly.   
The man raised the red saber and swung it at Ahsoka. She blocked the blade with her own and sparks flashed from the collision. This man, if she could call it that, was stronger than anyone she had faced. The strength of his robotic limbs were now bearing down on Ahsoka as she could hardly hold her own. She slipped out of the hold and swung towards the figure’s black booted legs. He swiftly moved his saber there to block the green blade as sparks flew out again. Using the momentum from the attack, the figure whirled the red saber above his head and sent it crashing down towards Ahsoka. Knowing how strong this machine was, Ahsoka opted to leap away from the blow instead of taking it on directly. She dove into the burnt out dirt and more black marks began to cover her body. She ran towards the figure, jumped in the air and swung at his head. The machine blocked the blow with a one handed stroke of his saber. Ahsoka made another attempt to cut down his legs but failed again as he appeared to always be one step ahead of her. She spun and around and backed away from the machine and tried to connect with the ride side of his abdomen. Blocked again. She felt a push from the machine and Ahsoka flew into the air and landed ten meters away as even more dirt began to collect on her body. She was losing this fight, and it was as if her opponent knew her every move. Ahsoka grunted and she got back to her feet and slowly walked towards the black figure. It was still unbearably hot and sweat began to roll down her orange forehead.   
As she drew nearer to the figure, Ahsoka looked down at the rocks below her and pushed them with the force up into her opponent’s face to distract him. Once again, Ahsoka made an attack for his right shoulder that was blocked by his crimson blade. Using only his right arm, he used the hold that they were in to push Ahsoka to the ground. Lying flat on her back, she sprung up and kicked the machine in the face which knocked him back a few steps. While the figure was regaining his footing, Ahsoka swung wildly at both sides of his upper body. The machine was now having difficulty keeping up with Ahsoka’s flurry of attacks. He stumbled back further and further until he reached the same hill that Anakin’s body laid on. Ahsoka saw this and took the opportunity to kick the machine square in the chest knocking him down the hill and towards the bank of the lava river. She stood at the top of the hill now, her green lightsaber in hand staring down at the machine as he rose to his feet. Ahsoka heard what sounded like a mechanical laughter coming from the man at the bottom of the river bank. It sent chills down her spine. It almost sounded like a mechanized version of her old master’s laugh. She gripped her saber tighter than before. And before she knew it, she saw the machine reaching for his helmet. It came off in two pieces. First, he lifted the head piece off of his body and placed it down beside him. Then, he peeled off the front piece of the helmet that housed the lenses and the breathing apparatus. And underneath the helmet was her old master Anakin.   
It was not her master as she knew him. Rather, it was the burnt out face that she saw lying on this very same river bank moments ago. This was what Qui-Gon meant. Her master had not died. He was now Darth Vader, the infamous Jedi hunter she heard about in her short time in the Outer Rim. The laughter continued and Ahsoka nearly fell to her knees. It was a chilling laughter that sounded like Anakin’s warm laugh from before mixed with the cold inhuman sound of the mechanical suit’s speaking apparatus. Ahsoka continued to stare down the man that was once her master from on top of the hill. He continued to laugh until Ahsoka saw his cape catch fire. She reached out to him desperately with her right arm as if to warn Anakin of his impending doom, but he just continued to laugh as more and more of the cape went up in flames. Eventually the fire spread to his suit as the electronics inside began to short circuit and create massive sparks, which only sped up the process of burning Vader’s body. His armor melted and Vader continued to laugh as the mechanical laugh ceased. Ahsoka thought hearing only Anakin’s laugh would help her feel at ease, but it was only a cruel reminder of how far he had fallen. His body continued to burn until nothing but ashes were left. The two pieces of Vader’s helmet sat next to a pile of ash at the side of the lava river bed. Anakin was gone. And there was no saving him. Ahsoka closed her eyes again, and in the black void she heard Qui-Gon’s words.  
“This is what happens when one denies their feelings and gives into their fears.”


	5. The Third Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and Qui-Gon journey to the Imperial Throne Room to learn the third and final lesson of Ahsoka's journey....

Chapter 5: The Fourth Lesson  
Ahsoka opened her eyes again. She was now inside what looked like a large, dark throne room. A giant circular window let in the view of the void of space nearby. White stars twinkled calmly in the distance as there was a tense feeling in the room. She heard voices coming from the other side of the throne room at the bottom of a tall grey stair case that led to the window she was looking out now. Qui-Gon appeared next to her again.  
“Where are we now, Master Qui-Gon?” She asked with a pinch of dread in her voice.  
“We are at a site of great hope.” He replied stoically underneath the hood of his deep brown robe. The two figures slowly walked down the stair case to see three men standing at the bottom. Two had their backs turned to them and one was facing Qui-Gon and Ahsoka. Ahsoka immediately recognized Darth Vader as one of the two standing in front and immediately put together that the other figure was none other than Emperor Palpatine. But who was the third one who was facing them? He stood several centimeters shorter than Vader and wore a form fitting black outfit. Ahsoka went to ask Qui-Gon about him, but was startled when Palpatine began shooting lightning out of his mildewy fingers at the defenseless young man. He yelled in pain as he doubled over onto the hard floor below. He screamed out in pain and his cries echoed throughout the throne room.  
“Father…Please!” He cried out in agony.  
“Father? Who is his father?” Ahsoka turned and asked Qui-Gon. He simply made a motion down to the three men that indicated that she should continue watching the horrible scene that was developing before them. The young man continued to scream in pain until Vader’s head began to turn to look at the young man, and then back at Palpatine, who was in a state of sinister ecstasy. Vader looked back at the young man and Ahsoka pieced it together. Vader was his father! Judging by his age, Anakin had become a father right around the time of his duel with Obi-Wan. And here was his son; the last shred of who he was before that horrible day on Mustafar being tortured to death with force lightning. Ahsoka stared on in horror as Anakin’s son continued to scream out in pain. She thought to run down to the scene to lend a hand, but remembered Qui-Gon telling her that she cannot change the events in this vision. Seconds felt like hours as Palpatine continued to burn Anakin’s son with force lightning. Until eventually Vader turned to Palpatine and lifted him over his own head. The lightning then began to fall back directly onto Palpatine and Vader as he continued to carry his old master towards a shaft that led down to a place that Ahsoka could not fathom. Once he had stumbled to the shaft, Vader threw Palpatine down it and the echoes of his screams could be heard from the throne room above. Anakin’s son ran over to his father’s now fragile body. Ahsoka closed her eyes and she felt the scene around her changing again.  
Before she could even open her eyes, Ahsoka heard the sound of wood crackling and felt the heat of a fire in the distance. It was not that of a raging blaze of a forest fire, but a roaring fire for a funeral pyre. Ahsoka opened her eyes and saw the young man from before standing in front of the giant burning arrangement of logs, his back to Ahsoka. Inside the blaze she saw Darth Vader’s armor burning and melting into the wood beneath. This was the funeral for her old master. The man inside the mechanical armor was being honored for his return to the light. Out of respect for her fallen master, Ahsoka bowed and raised the hood of her Jedi robes over her head. Qui-Gon emerged next to her in the same fashion.  
“He redeemed himself.” Ahsoka said with a faint smile.  
“He did.” Qui-Gon replied matching her facial expression. The fire continued to burn up the remains of Anakin Skywalker as well as the strength and terror of Darth Vader.  
“No matter how far gone a person seems to be, the fundamental essence of their being is the Force. And they will always be pulled back to the light.” Ahsoka said. Qui-Gon nodded his head.  
“So how do I help bring this into existence?” Ahsoka asked Qui-Gon. He chuckled.  
“Don’t concern yourself with how. When the time is right, the Force will show you your role in the destruction of the Empire and the reconstruction of the Jedi order. All you need to do, is be ready for that day.” Qui-Gon said.  
“And what if the New Jedi Order falls apart again?” Ahsoka asked hesitantly.  
“Oh, it most certainly will,” Qui-Gon replied. Ahsoka shot him a confused look. “Eventually the new order will stray from the will of the Force and it will fall again. All we can hope to do is to make sure that the period of time it takes for the Order to fall becomes longer and longer.” Qui-Gon said. “And so that eventually, everyone will live in accord with the Force. You and I are but individual manifestations of the Force, who are to play our parts in gradually showing everyone how live in accordance with it. The cycle did not start with us, nor will it end with us. But we will do our part so that eventually we will learn to see everything and everyone as a manifestation of the Force and to listen to its guidance.” Qui-Gon finished speaking and Ahsoka turned to him again. But he was gone. He had disappeared and all that was left was the slowly dying flame of Anakin Skywalker’s funeral pyre and the misty air of the forest of whatever planet Ahsoka was on. She closed her eyes and felt her consciousness shift back to her burnt orange room on Thabeska.


	6. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka returns home from her journey....

Chapter 6: Homeward Bound  
Ahsoka opened her eyes again to see the room had remained unchanged despite the journey she had been on that night. She let out a deep sigh of relief as her small lungs puffed air out of her mouth. She felt invigorated too. The fog of doubt surrounding the future was beginning to lift as she saw the trajectory that the Empire was on. She knew it wouldn’t last. And not only that it wouldn’t last, but that it was doomed to fall at the hands of her own master, who was redeemed by his son. It was a beautiful moment that she was happy to have witnessed through the Force. Getting to her feet, Ahsoka walked over to her bed and got under the sheets. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.   
When she awoke the next morning, the peace from the night before had not left her. It wouldn’t do so anytime soon. She rose out of bed with a renewed sense of purpose. She walked over to the corner of her room to put on her mechanic’s outfit only to find the same black and silver lightsaber hilt from her vision sitting on top of the clothes. Ahsoka took a step back in shock.  
“How could that be?” She asked aloud. She noticed a small folded piece of brown paper next to the hilt and reached down to pick it up. She unfolded the message and it read: Use this until you are able to craft another weapon of your own. Ahsoka smiled, she knew right away that it was Qui-Gon. She was not sure how he managed to will his old lightsaber into existence, but it did not matter. Ahsoka’s aim was clear. She was to follow the will of the Force and to listen to the quiet voice inside of her that had always been there to guide her in every step she took. As tragic and as gut wrenching the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order was, it was a necessary downfall. And as hard as it seemed to rationalize it, Ahsoka did her best to understand it. At the same time, she was aware that she had an important part to play in keeping the Jedi Order alive and eventually helping form a new order, one whose aims more closely followed the will of the Force.  
Once she had finished preparing for another day in the Fardi Clan’s hangar, she placed Qui-Gon’s lightsaber in a small cupboard in her room. Then she walked into the hallway and headed towards the door to the planet surface. She did not want anyone on this planet to know of her Jedi connections. The time was not right. But it soon would be her time to come out of the shadows and shine a new light on the galaxy. All she had to do was wait until then. Ahsoka smiled as she pressed the button to slide the door to the outside world open. She took a look at the sky and saw that for just a moment, the clouds had parted and sunlight landed on the surface of Thabeska.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! If you've made it this far, I really appreciate it. If you have any recommendations/requests for future stories, feel free to send me a message!!!


End file.
